"Safe Trip!"

We've traveled before, and this time around I've noticed how many people wish us a "safe trip".  Friends, family, parents (of course), the grocery store clerk (after explaining why I bought so many fruit leathers), my backpack salesman, the Apple store guy, etc. I used to take it simply as just a saying, like "Bon voyage" or "have fun." But every time I hear it now I am finding myself very thankful for the well wishes and I really take them to heart. Perhaps it's just that as I've gotten older I've lost some of the dare devil side and gotten a bit more cautions (my joints literally remind me to be careful); but after experiencing two tragic losses of lives so close to me in just a year's time, I've taken to heart the fact that life is so precious. And yes, "life's too short," that is one of the reasons we are making this trip, but I am really realizing to not take it for granted.

So I have been collecting all of those "safe trip" wishes and we'll take them with us. It is just as important to protect our precious life as it is to live it to the fullest.